


The Ties That Bind Us

by SukiRios



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-11-06 00:07:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11024436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SukiRios/pseuds/SukiRios
Summary: I can't get this pairing out of my head so here's a genesisshipping fic for you. My take on events leading up to Arc-V canon and how Zarc and Ray met and their relationship developed before Zarc's descent to madness. Rating might change in the future but for now its all ages.





	1. First encounter

The first time they met, it was in passing.

Zarc had just come from the arena fresh off of a victory, adrenaline singing in his veins. He was fairly new to the scene but he was already making waves with how well he commanded his beloved dragons and rode them during battle. He was a natural show stopper and he couldn't have been happier.

“Not bad, rookie,” came an amused voice, “but just because you're plowing through the bottom of the pool doesn't mean you have what it takes to play with the champions.”

Zarc paused and looked over at the voice, tipping his head curiously. He regarded the girl in front of him and after a minute a smile curled his lips. “I didn't think that it would be this soon before I met you, Ray Akaba. I would have thought you didn't watch new pro duels.”

Ray gave him a smile. Cool, slightly aloof, but that was fine by Zarc. She was well above his standing in the world of pros, she had every right to look down on him. For now at least. “I watch when a promising duelist is starting to move up the ranks. I like to be prepared as to what’s coming rather than be like my fellow top pros who would rather not watch and then be surprised.”

She looked curiously at him then. “You work well with your monsters. You don't stay in one spot but rather compete with them...how do you do it?”

“I can't really explain it, but I guess you could call it a psychic ability. I can hear the thoughts of my monsters, I can read their body language,” Zarc replied with a tiny shrug, “It comes naturally to me like breathing. I've never had to practice, I just understood my monsters...these four in particular.” with that he drew out four cards from his pouch on his hip and showed them to Ray. A dragon for each summoning type excluding ritual.

Ray reached out and took them after a moment to examine them. The cards were exactly like any other card except...she felt a stirring from them, an emotion. It was as if someone else holding them grabbed their attention. The air felt heavy suddenly, as if it were more than herself and zarc in the hallway and all in one place. Looking around, she didn't see anything, but the shadows in the hall seemed deeper, darker.

Moving suddenly, Zarc pushed Ray flush against the wall where she had been leaning and shielded her body with his as a pressure passed them by, whatever it was swerving around Zarc, unwilling to hit him. “That’s enough,” Zarc growled, looking at the air near them where the presence seemed to hover now. “She was just looking at you four and she wasn’t going to steal you.”

There was a little growl from the presence but after a moment, it caved under Zarc’s stare and the presence became four separate presences, assuming the silhouettes of the dragons on the cards still in Ray’s hands. “Woah,” she breathed, prompting Zarc to look back at her in surprise. When he realized he was still pinning her to the wall, their noses barely brushing, Zarc’s cheeks flushed and he jumped backwards almost comically once he took the cards back from Ray.

There was the unmistakable sound of a chortle and Zarc pouted at his dragons. “Assholes. You surprise me Ray…no one else has been able to see them before. You must be able to see and hear duel spirits like me.”

“I dont know about that...I just see shadows,” Ray replied dubiously.

“That’s ok, when I first started learning how to understand what I was experiencing, I could only see shadows out of the corners of my eyes. Now I can see them in their full color.” Zarc tipped his head then and he smiled as if an idea came to him. “Hey, how about I teach you? It’s confusing to learn alone and you seem like the kind of person who would like to be able to have someone to talk to when no one else is around...or when daddy dearest prefers to work on his holograms instead of coming home.”

Ray’s expression morphed into one of anger as if Zarc struck a nerve and she tried to slap him but he hopped back a bit further out of her reach with a little laugh. “Easy Princess, there’s no sense getting upset by the truth unless you’re in denial. Out of curiosity...how long has it been since your father came to see a duel of yours live and not on tv?”

As expected, Ray rushed at him, intending to try and shut him up, ignoring the dragons who suddenly bristled. Zarc waved them off and braced for impact. When Ray closed the gap between them, he caught her arm and spun her around before pinning her against the opposite wall, pressing in close again so she couldn’t move.

“I’ve upset you...Did the truth really not occur to you? That your father’s fame and your own is why people come around you and everyone wants something from you?” Zarc leaned in close, his lips brushing against Ray’s ear and felt her shiver at his breath. “Take a good look at those around you, how they act. You’ll see a level of fakeness that they try to hide. However, I don’t want anything for you. I want to be in your presence simply because you’re like me, you have the gift to interact with the souls of cards. I want absolutely nothing from you except your time and company and I didn’t even want that until you approached me not long ago.”

Zarc let her go once he felt the anger and tension start to seep away from her limbs and stepped back, the dragons vanishing back into their cards as he put the cards away. “Have a good rest of your day, Princess, and think about what I said.” With that, he walked off with a small wave and vanished down the hall towards the dressing rooms.

When he was gone, Ray slid down the wall to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. He was right, she had noticed it already in her circles and couldn’t put a name to the fakeness but now it was obvious. There were a few people who were genuine but all of the people that recently wanted to be her friend as well as any potential suitors were all fake. They only wanted to know her for her fame and accompanying money. 

And then there was Zarc. He was surprised that she came to see his duel but otherwise he treated her like a person, protected her when he thought she needed protecting and was genuine when he spoke to her, even when he told her things she didn’t want to hear. Ray laughed at that. Zarc was unpolished and seemingly didn’t know the meaning of personal space, but in retrospect interacting with him had been downright refreshing.

Standing back up, Ray glanced down the hall to where Zarc had vanished. She wanted to get to know him more, wanted to befriend him. Perhaps she would take him up on his offer to teach her after all.


	2. Second Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you give a dragon a muffin...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has it really been three months? ....oops. thanks for waiting!

The next time Zarc saw Ray he hadn't been expecting it at all. He hadn't seen her after his matches so he had figured that she wanted nothing to do with him, or she was keeping her distance but still watching.

He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. He literally met her once, and for all of maybe a half hour to boot. Perhaps it was because he could sense her ability to converse and interact with duel monster souls. She was the first person like him that he had found and it was almost childish just how he clung to the thought of having someone truly understand him.

So when she approached him in a coffee shop, he had been completely unaware of his surroundings, more focused on reclining a bit on the two seater couch he had claimed for himself and feeding a tiny version of Odd Eyes dragon bits of muffin, the miniaturized dragon curled up in his lap and happily munching away at each morsel as it was presented. He was so focused on Odd Eyes that he didn't see Ray come up and stand in front of him until she cleared her throat to be noticed. With a yelp, he jumped, as did Odd Eyes, the tiny dragon actually leaving his lap for a moment before landing in an unceremonious heap.

“Oh...Ray! I didn't see you, what brings you here?” Zarc asked once his pulse slowed back down, golden eyes flicking up to look at the girl standing before him.

“I was looking for you and was told you hang out here sometimes so I thought I’d stop by and...is that a dragon?” Ray asked as Odd Eyes untangled itself and shook itself off before sitting in Zarc’s lap after snatching another piece of muffin.

Zarc laughed a little and pet Odd Eyes fondly. “Yes. This is Odd Eyes Dragon...my main ace monster,” he introduced, shifting so that he was sitting properly and motioned to the vacant spot, inviting Ray to sit.

“I thought I recognized it but...how can a hologram eat?” She asked as she sat. Odd Eyes finished the bite it was working on and crept over to Ray, sniffing her curiously to see if she had any food on her.

“That's because it's not a hologram. I call it real summoning. Odd Eyes exists in its own body without the use of holograms. It's another ability that being able to understand and sense them comes with. I can actually call them from the cards if I so choose like I’ve done with Odd Eyes,” Zarc explained, watching Odd Eyes curiously. 

Odd eyes stretched its neck up as high as it could reach and gave such a tiny little roar that it came out as a squeak. Ray giggled and picked a chunk of muffin up and offered it to the little dragon who took it with a delighted squeak and started to munch on it. “Do you...think you could teach me?” she asked quietly. When Zarc’s gaze shifted to her without saying a word, she hastily stammered on. She wasn’t sure if Zarc was aware of how intense his eyes were, the gold color incredibly piercing. “I-I mean...I thought about what you said, and as much as I hate to admit it….you’re right. I only have a few genuine friends and all of the rest are fakes.”

Zarc’s expression turned into equal parts smug, amused, and satisfied. “It would be my pleasure to teach you,” he told her, the way he spoke sending shivers down her spine. She couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to duel him. She knew his voice could become lilting and playful while he was entertaining the crowds, but when he was in a bind during a duel, his voice would go deeper, darker, a tone that indicated that the time for games was over. The sensation it gave made her feel like velvet was rubbing over her skin. It was a good sound, but it also spoke worlds of potential danger.

Zarc smiled then and he motioned towards Odd-Eyes. “This glutton won’t help you very much. He’s already out and when he’s in this state anyone can see him. I might have just the monster that will teach you. He is not as...protective as my dragons and he has been my friend for many years. The only reason I am not having you use your deck, is that my deck is used to this sort of practice for I talk to them often,” he said, pulling his deck from his pouch and paging through it until he stopped on a card and pulled it out before setting the rest of the deck next to his drink and Odd Eyes’ muffin.

Ray took the card that was offered to her and studied it curiously. “Astrograph magician?” she asked curiously, looking up at Zarc. When Zarc nodded, Ray looked back down on the card. “So what do I do?”

He really hadn’t had time to think this far about how he was going to teach her. Looking down at Odd Eyes, the dragon looked back up at him and chirped, tipping his head. That gave Zarc an idea. “Back when you first touched the dragon cards a few days ago...Did you feel anything before I got you out of the way of the attack?” he asked curiously.

Ray thought back to it and hummed thoughtfully. “I felt...Almost like a pulse from the cards, like a sensation that something was waking up when it realized that I wasn’t you.” Zarc’s face lit up in delight and Ray had the distinct feeling that she said something right.

“The fact that you felt that much on top of seeing shadows is a really good sign...at least for me. Now I don't have to teach you the really intricate stuff,” he told her, taking a sip of his drink, “Focus on that, try to find the pulse again. Essentially it's like the heartbeat of the soul in the card. As you get better at sensing that, soon the pulse will form words in a sense or pictures and you’ll be able to understand it. Once you can understand and respond in turn, you'll be able to see them better than shadows.”

Nodding, Ray closed her eyes to focus better and thought about the card in her hand, recalling the visual details of the celestial magician. Her brow furrowed in effort and almost as she was about to give up, a pulse from the card startled her. Eyes flying open, Ray looked down at the card before looking at Zarc who had a pleased smile on his face, his eyes dancing in joy.

“A natural, just as I suspected,” he praised. “Keep going. See if you can get Astrograph to respond again.”

Ray nodded and took a breath, encouraged by the praise and tried again, this time thinking a greeting to Astrograph. It took a minute before Ray realized she was feeling distinct amusement and realized it was coming from the card.

“You sensed something new…” Zarc murmured. Ray looked up at him and nodded. “He’s amused at me,” She told him, prompting Zarc to laugh. “That means he likes you. You may hold onto him and practice. He’ll be one of the easiest to actually get to talk to you.”

Ray started to nod again before he remembered something. “Wait, won’t you need him for your duel tomorrow?” She asked.

Zarc shook his head. “If my duel came down to whether or not I had Astrograph, then I would be severely fucked...pardon my language,” he said as Odd-Eyes chattered at him as if scolding him. She mothered him a lot and did not like him swearing in front of pretty girls apparently.

Ray nodded and carefully slipped Astrograph into her dueldisk for now, feeling a little tired. Zarc smiled and got up, returning a minute later with a coffee for her and a refill for himself. “It’ll take some getting used to,” he told her as Odd-Eyes finished off her muffin before investigating Ray curiously. “You’re using a part of your brain that you haven’t used before...you’ll feel tired the first several times until you get used to it.” He offered her the coffee and she took it gratefully, sipping the hot liquid as she stroked Odd-Eyes gently, the dragon cooing happily.

“So Zarc...tell me about yourself? I feel like you know everything about me and I can’t say the same about you,” she asked him.

Zarc blinked, his eyes widening as if he hadn’t expected to be asked that. Odd-Eyes chortled at him and deciding that she liked this girl, hopped into her lap and got comfortable there, knowing Zarc was giving the dragon veiled envious looks. Looking back at Ray, who looked amused at the silent exchange between dragon and master, he took another sip of his drink and settled more comfortably into his corner of the couch. “It’s not all that glamorous unlike yours. I read the article the dueling magazine posted about your rise to the top and about your home life. You’ve always lived a high life, your father giving you a very comfortable lifestyle thanks to his work on Real Solid Vision,” he mused.

“I was orphaned at a young age,” he started softly, “I don’t really remember my mother but she had me by accident and I apparently didn’t look enough like her for her to want to keep me. I think she slept around a lot and having a kid that didn’t look like her was probably hurting her hookups so she left me at a church day care when I was around two, maybe a little younger, and simply never came to get me and the number she had provided them was a fake.” Zarc shuddered and Odd eyes chirped gently in concern. He hated talking about his past.

Zarc shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at Ray. “When I was really little I was given Odd-Eyes by another kid at the orphanage. He was really sick and was bedridden a lot so he taught me how to duel and gave me Odd-Eyes when I beat him for the first time.” He smiled then. “I could immediately sense her but didn’t realize that that was unusual but I kept it to myself. It was love that I felt and I didn’t want it taken away. Odd-Eyes loved me a lot right off the bat and has mom’d me ever since. As my power grew and I could understand her she would speak to me every night and tell me fantastic stories to lull me to sleep. She told me about her kin, my other three dragons, and helped me find them and reunite the four siblings as I got older, collecting the xyz one right before I started professional dueling.”

Zarc trailed off and smiled. “You’re the first person that I have ever told these things to. Even well over a decade later it’s still raw, my birth mother calling me a mistake and abandoning me. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Ray, but I trust you more than I should for this being only the second time we’ve interacted.”

Odd-Eyes chirped and nudged Ray’s hand, Ray smiling and petting the crimson dragon. “Maybe we were meant to find each other. I mean, I’ve never known another psychic duelist before and we seem to click together pretty well,” she mused, looking up at Zarc. “I feel like there’s more to the story?”

“There is but I don’t feel like regaling you with more in a public setting plus I need to start heading out, meeting with a potential sponsor. Here…” Zarc pulled a clean napkin over and wrote out a set of numbers after squelching an alarm that went. “This is my duel disk code. When you next feel like meeting up to work on honing your abilities, let me know and we can arrange something. I would love for you to come to my modest home so you can see all four dragons out and running around,” he told her.

“You can summon four at once like this?” Ray asked in surprise, looking down at the little dragon, Odd-Eyes wiggling and looking back up at her, chirping.

“I can. I mean, it's so much easier summoning multiples when they're small like this. Bigger ones take a lot more energy and I can only manage one dragon and still function. Two if I use my duel disk and aren’t planning on moving for at least a few minutes,” Zarc replied, “It’s a work in progress but I hope to one day be able to have all four of them full sized or at least their “older brother” out. I can’t real summon him yet. He is...a force of nature. I just got him really recently and while I can sense him, I haven't played him yet. I feel like...he’s not suited for the arena.”

Odd-eyes growled at the mention of this other dragon. And Ray blinked down at her in confusion. “What dragon is it?” Ray asked as Zarc picked odd-eyes up and cradled her before picking up his coffee and starting to walk away.

Zarc paused and looked over his shoulder at Ray with a very serious look. “Supreme King Dragon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems im playing a little game with myself called spot the yuboy where zarc emulates his counterparts at random

**Author's Note:**

> If there is a scenario that you guys want to see Ray and Zarc go through in their shenanigans in a peaceful time, let me know. I have a few ideas but let's see where this takes us.


End file.
